# African civet (*Civettictis civetta*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/african-civet  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The African civet (Civettictis civetta), also called the civet, is a mammal of the order Carnivora and the family Viverridae, subfamily Viverrinae. It is a medium-sized, nocturnal and terrestrial animal with an adult body mass of 12 kg and up to 13.67 kg. Its diet category is carnivore and its trophic level is omnivore. Gestation lasts 68.4 days, litters hold 1 to 4 young, and the species is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 12 kg – 13.7 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 28 years |
| Diet | Carnivore |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | forest, woodland |
| Gestation | 60 days – 81 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 1 – 4 |
| Age at maturity | 7 months – 12 months |
| Litters or clutches a year | 2.2 |
| Active | At night (nocturnal) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Carnivora
- family: Viverridae
- genus: Civettictis
- species: *Civettictis civetta* (Schreber, 1776)

Synonyms: *Viverra civetta*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the African civet?

The African civet is a mammal in the order Carnivora, suborder Feliformia and family Viverridae.

### How heavy is the African civet?

The African civet has an adult body mass of 12 kg, with values up to 13.67 kg reported by our sources.

### What does the African civet eat?

The African civet's diet category is carnivore, and its trophic level is omnivore.

### Is the African civet endangered?

No. The African civet is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does the African civet live?

The African civet has a lifespan of 28 years.

### How many young does the African civet have?

The African civet has 2.31 young per litter, from 1 to 4, and 2.2 litters per year. Gestation lasts 68.4 days.

### When does the African civet reach sexual maturity?

The African civet reaches sexual maturity at 289 days, with values from 213 to 365 days reported by our sources.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: African civet (Civettictis civetta). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/african-civet